Small talk: Travel plans

💬 voy a plus a place means going there. Put a verb after it instead and it means "going to do": voy a comer "I'm going to eat".

💬 Months aren't capitalised in Spanish: agosto, julio, diciembre.

💬 The ll in Sevilla is said like an English y: (seh-VEE-yah).

💬 ¡Qué...! plus a describing word makes a quick reaction. Swap the word: ¡Qué bonito! "How pretty!" or ¡Qué rollo! "What a drag!"

💬 Weather uses hace "it makes", not es: hace frío "it's cold", hace sol "it's sunny". Heat is a noun here, so it's mucho calor, not muy caliente.

🇪🇸 Seville in August often tops 40°C, so locals will almost always warn you. Many Sevillanos leave for the coast and some shops close.

💬 ya on its own is a very common "yeah, I know" nod in conversation. It doesn't mean "already" here.

🇪🇸 Asturias is the green, rainy north. It's a popular summer escape for Spaniards precisely because it stays cool.

💬 chulo means "cool" or "nice" in Spain. In parts of Latin America it can mean "cocky", so it's best kept for Spain.

🇪🇸 Casual and friendly, for friends, neighbours or coworkers. It's not one for formal settings.

💬 cuántos matches the thing being counted: cuántos días, but cuántas semanas "how many weeks".

💬 Transport takes en: en tren "by train", en avión "by plane". Walking is the exception: a pie "on foot".

💬 At the start of a sentence, bueno doesn't mean "good". It's a filler meaning "well" or "right then", often used to wrap up or change topic.

💬 tengo que plus a verb means "I have to": tengo que trabajar "I have to work". The me belongs with ir, so tengo que irme is equally correct.

🇪🇸 Starting with bueno is the classic way to signal you're wrapping up a chat. It sounds polite and natural rather than abrupt.

🇪🇸 Spaniards say hasta luego even when they may not see you again, like leaving a shop. It works as a general "bye".

💬 buen is bueno shortened before a masculine noun: buen día, but un día bueno.